continuation of side-essay

[kaigou]

I'll work this part into yesterday's post, when I send the finals over to Zania.

--

How many times are we reminded that Tallgeese is archaic? Easily five times, ten, maybe a few more. Everyone seems startled that Zechs would possibly want to fight with it, let alone at its power. And then he goes and tries to put Wing back together, to either use it, or fight against it. I was sitting here--actually doing work, I know, I know, shocking--and I recalled an article I read yesterday about pre-WWII Japan.

Okay, as part of some of the treaties Japan signed around the turn of the century, it was already agreeing to certain military restrictions that acted in favor of the US and Britain. But from 1925 through 1930 or thereabouts, several different military envoys came to Japan, bringing their cast-off planes with them. Japan's air force, for the most part, entered its expansionist period using older machinery against people that couldn't fight back. When Japan increased its aggressive actions against its neighbors, the Navy listed their requirements and opened the field to bids. Mitsubishi, in the end, was the only one who thought it possible to build the plane the Navy requested--and they did.

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero Fighter was the finest shipboard fighter in the world during the first year of the Pacific War. It was the first shipboard fighter capable of defeating its land-based opponents. Its world-wide fame was won in a series of astounding victories against all types of land-based and carrier-based Allied aircraft during the first six months after Pearl Harbor. It took part in every major action in which the Japanese Navy was involved, from Pearl Harbor all the way to the final B-29 assault on Japan. It became a legend in its own time for its extremely good maneuverability and its exceptionally long range. Even today, the Zero remains for the Japanese and their erstwhile enemies alike the symbol of Japanese air power during the Pacific War.

Now, you tell me what kind of message the Gundam Revisited (Wing series) might have been saying, given that ZERO drove the pilots insane.

Yeah. Also, a bit of trivia:

During the first year of the Pacific War, the standard shipboard fighter serving with the US Navy was the Grumman F4F Wildcat. The A6M2 was superior to the F4F Wildcat in speed, climb rate, and maneuverability, but the Wildcat had better firepower and was more robust. In a dive the two aircraft were fairly equal, but the turning circle of the Zero Fighter was very much smaller than that of the Wildcat by virtue of its lower wing loadings.

All quotes from Joe Baugher's Mitsubishi A6M Zero Fighter analysis.

Not bad. ZERO: built in record time, answering the demands of war--must have machines. However, the original 'ZERO system' seems to be in Tallgeese. At this point, it gets even more intriguing. Damn! In 1937, George VI was crowned, and Japan sent a two-person plane to mark the event, a little bit to show off (the plane could move in excess of 300 mph, which was phenomenally fast at the time). Keep in mind that at this time, Japan had already set up the puppet-states of Kwantung and Manchuria, and had continued expanding militaristically. According to Allstar (reprinting from the Franklin Mint, of all places), the Mitsubishi Karigane arrived in Britain, and the Japanese pilots were more than happy to show off the plane, its engine, and its interior to curious Westerners.

While [the Westerners] recognized [the plane's] military potential, they did not perceive that the plane was an indication of Japan's growing strength. However, the Karigane proved to be the direct ancestor of the great Zero fighter that was to dominate the sky over the Pacific during the early years of World War II. In addition, the Karigane was modified for combat and became an outstanding warplane in its own right, serving Japan's military forces in the Pacific fighting. [emphasis mine]

Karigane means 'wild goose.'

Man. Okay! Back to work for me.

Comments

Re: goosefeathers

[christeos-pir.livejournal.com]

Also Zero for the Allies because of the big red circle.